Gun sight



R. M.l LYNN GUN S IGHT F eb. 5, 1946.

AFiled Sept. l5, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l Cb v R. MA LYNN Feb. 5, 1946.

GUN S IGH'T' Filed Sept. 15, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheetl 2 Patented Feb. 5, i946 UNITED STATES PATENT orties GUN SIGHT Robert M. Lynn, Pasadena, Calif.

Application September 15, 1943, Serial No. 502,414

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a gun sight particularly designed for the accurateand effective training and sighting of guns, especially those carried by aircraft, for the orientation of airplanes and for bomb sightingpurposes, and the principal objects of my invention are, to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the existing forms of similar instruments and to provide a gun sight based on the collimating reex light principle of compact, light-weight structure, having ample adjustability, and combined with a re1- atvely simple and highly elective lens system that includes a readily removable electric plug, socket and lamp, which latter may have a plurality of filaments controlled by a selective switch.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a simple, practical and eflicient gun sight of the character referred to, which includes a base, a housing mounted on said base and containing the optical elements and reticle, a reflector mounted on the base, means for effecting vertical adjustment of the housing, means for indicating the vertical deviation from a basic setting on the aircraft, means for readily eifecting azimuth adjustment relative to the center line of the aircraft, and the electric lamp and associated parts v mounted so as to be easily and quickly removed from the lower portion of the housing. f

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a gun sight constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the transparent reiiector.

Fig. 5 is lan enlarged detail section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line B-B of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line 'l--l of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the dual filament electric lamp, its selective switch and electrical connections.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I3 designates a base plate having a chamber II open at its rear end, said plate being mounted, preferably by means of screws I2, to the horizontal surface of a xed part of the aircraft as at A. Base Ill is preferably mounted so as to occupy a plane parallel with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

A housing carrying ring I3 has a short arm I4 projecting into chamber II and arpin I5, removably seated n the end of base I0 to the sides of the op'en end of chamber II, passes through arm I4 to provide a horizontal axis therefor and for said ring.

Positioned on ring I3 is a short housing I S, preferably cylindrical in form and projecting from the lower end of said housing downwardly through said ring is a short tubular extension I'I.

Extending from housing IG and positioned in a notch I3 formed in ring I3, in alignment with arm It, is a stud I9, against which bears the inner ends of screws 26 which are seated in the ring I3 to the sides of notch I8 and said screws passing through openings 2|, larger in diameter than said screws, that are formed in base IIJ, to the sides of the open end of chamber II.

The construction just described provides for the lateral or azimuth adjustment of the housing on the supporting ring I3.

A plurality of lenses 22, constituting a collimator, all contained within said housing I6 and located below the lowermost lens of the lens group is a reticle 23.

Occupying an angular position of 45 degrees just above the open, upper end of housing I6, is a transparent reflector 24 and the lower portions of the sides of this reector rest on brackets 25 which project upwardly from a ring v2t that is removably mounted on housing I6.

Formed in the edges of the reiiector which rests on brackets 25, are notches 2'I. for the reception of screws 28, that are seated in said brackets and underlying the heads of said screws and extending downward over the edges of the reector are angle strips 29, preferably of metal, with cushioning strips 30 of material such as rubber or leather positioned between the upper surface of said'reflector and the overlying portions of said angle strips (see Fig. 5).

The construction just described enables reflectors of diierent thicknesses to be used on the sight.

For adjusting the vertical angularity of the housing and parts carried thereby upon its axis, the pin I5, a screw 3| provided on one end with a knob 32, has a cylindrical portion 33 journalled in a bearing 34 in one side of base IIJ, said screw extending transversely through chamber II above arm I4 with its end screw seated in a cylindrical nut 35, and locked therein by means of a set screw 36.

Nut 35 is mounted for rotation in a bearing 31 in the side of base I0 and this bearing as well as bearing 34 is slightly elongated horizontally, so as to permit slight horizontal tilting movement of screw 3l.

The thread on screw 3| acting as a worm engages teeth 38 on a stud 39, which is journalled in the top of base III, and that portion of the stud below teeth 38 is threaded as designated by 4I and engages anut 42 which is rigidly xed in the arm It. (SeeFig. 2.)

Stud 39 carries on its upper end a dial A3 which rests on top of base I3, and the face of said dial,

adjacent itsY edge, is provided with graduations' in mils, and fixed on the face of base I!) adjacent said dial is a pointerlill.

IA set screw 45 secures dial to stud, thus enabling said dial to be readily reset so as to determine the deviation from previous setting of the sight line elevation.

A spring pressed ball d bears on nut 35, thus tending to force the screw forwardly through the elongated bearings Sli and 3l to maintain the screw in driving engagement with the teeth 38 of stud 39 and take up any slack or lost motion which might develop between the operating parts,

BearingV portion 33 of the screw has four recesses il disposed 90 degrees apart and adapted to enter said recesses as the screw is rotated, is a spring pressed detent ball 43.

The spacing of the recesses di', the pitch of theY thread of screw'Sl and of teeth 33 bear direct relation to the mil graduations on dial d3, and position of shaft I5 relative to stud 33.

Interposed between the upper face of arm I d' and underface of base I3 between the screwSI and axis I5, are expansive coil springs d3, which bias upward movement of said arm.

Secured to the lower portion of housing extension I1, below ring I3, is a lamp housing 53 L1 the Wall of which is a removable plug 5I, having a socket for a removable lamp bulb 52 having dual laments. This plug is held in inserted position by spring pressed detent balls 53, which engage in apertures 5t in housing 50 (see Fig. 6).

Associated with plug 5I is a single pole, double throw type switch 55, having an off position and wired to permit selection of either filament of the lamp.

This electric assembly is capable of being easily and quickly removed and replaced, thereby facilitating and greatly expediting the change of lamp bulbs during flight. K

After the base lo is secured to a xed part of the aircraft with said base parallel with the longitudinal axis (fore and aft) of said aircraft, the housing carrying the lens assembly and reector is adjusted relative to the direction of re from the guns, by manipulation of screw 3| and azimuth adjustment screws 23, as screw 3l is rotated the thread thereof engages teeth 33 on stud 39, thereby rotating same, and the threaded, lower end of said stud engaging nut I2 moves the arm I4 upwardly or downwardly as the case may be, thus swinging said arm on its axis I5 and changing the vertical angularity of ring I3, housing I6 and parts carried thereby. Y

Lateral adjustment of the device for alignment with the center line of the plane is accomplished by backing oif one screw 2E) and driving the other screw forwardly thus engaging and exerting pressure 0n stud IS and thereby correspondingly rotating ring I3, housing I6 and parts carried thereby.

In sighting with the device, the operator looks through the inclined surface of the reflector 24, from which is reflected the image of the reticle and when the plane is guided to bring the target into the circle appearing on the reflector, with the dot of the reticle on said target, the gun or lguns Vio may be fired, with maximum chances of scoring a hit, as a result of accuracy of sighting.

Thus it will4 be seen that I haveprovided a, gun sight which is simple and compact in structure, light in weight, capable of being -easily and accurately adjusted to correspond with the line of re from the guns, with a simple and readily controllcd and manipulated lighting system including selective dual lamp laments and which gun sight 'is Very effective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

Yeating the rotation about It will be understood thatminor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved gun sight may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit Vof my invention, the scope of-which is set forth in the appended claims.V

I claim as my invention:

l. In a gun sight, the combination with an inclined reflector supported one, housing, the housing holding a lens system and an illuminated reticle, of a mounting ring for supporting said housingyan arm extending from said mounting ring, a base member pivotally supporting said arm near said housing, an adjusting screw connecting said base member and said arm near the end thereof, said housing supporting a stud, and set screws carried by said ring and engageable with said stud for adjusting the rotary position ofsaid housing with respect to said mounting ring. Y

2. In a gun sight of the type including an inclinedreflector mounted upon a housing including a lens system and an illuminated-reticle, the combination of a ring coaxial with the axis of the lens system of said housing Yfor mounting said housing, said ring having an arm extending therefrom, a horizontal support for said arm, means for adjusting the pivotal position of said arm about said ,supp-ort, a stud extending from said housing, and adjusting members carried by said ring for contact with said stud for adjusting the relative rotary positions of said housing and said ring.

3. A gun'sight of the class in which there is provided a reector to receive an illuminated image of a reticle, a housing, a ring for supporting said housing so that the housing may rotate on a substantially Vertical axis, `said ring having an arm extending therefrom, a mounting member supporting said arm on a horizontal pivot, an adjusting means interconnecting said supporting member and arm for adjusting the pivoting of said arm about said horizontal axis, a stud carried by said housing and extending into a recess in said ring, and oppositely acting adjusting members carried by said ring and contacting said stud for adjusting the relative rotary positions between said housing and mounting ring.

4. A gun sight of the class in which there is provided a reflector to receive an illuminated image of a reticle, a housing, a ring for supporting said housing so that the housing may rotate on a substantially vertical axis, said ring having an arm extending therefrom, a mounting memberfsu-pporting said arm on a horizontal pivot, an adjusting means interconnecting said supporting member and arm for adjusting the pivoting of said arm about said horizontal axis, a stud carried by said housing and extending into a recess in said ring, oppositely acting adjusting members carried by said ring and contacting said stud for adjusting the relative rotary positions between said housing and mounting ring, and scales for indithe horizontal axis. ROBERT M. LYNN. 

